Meet Your New Neighbors

Ryan and Megan White moved to Tehachapi in July from the Kern River Valley. Megan said that they moved the week after the start of the Erskine Fire. She said that on the first few days the fire was headed right toward their home but fortunately for them, the winds changed and the fire headed in another direction. For the White family, moving to Tehachapi satisfied two important goals; one, to expand their business to a new community and two, to find better schools for their nine year old son, Preston.

Ryan was brought up in the window replacement and auto glass business. His father has been in the business for 40 years and Ryan now for 20. Their base of operation is in Ridgecrest where they have been located for 10 years. Ryan’s Auto Glass will be offering free mobile service to repair shops and individuals here in Tehachapi and the surrounding communities.

Ryan and Preston are both skilled mountain bikers. The proud mom told me that Preston was national motocross champion at the age of 8. Ryan is also a well-known cyclist. When I asked if he was going to be around for Tehachapi’s Gran Fondo, Megan said “no, but he will be racing in the Legends of the Kamikaze” bicycle race at Mammoth Lakes that weekend.

Ryan was brought up in Porterville. He has a sister who has a very successful business with the Pit Barrel Cooker. Megan is an only child and was brought up in Ridgecrest. She is also used to being around cars and has worked in a body shop. She and Ryan met at Lake Isabella and Megan said that she knew that she would marry him the first day they met.

Back in Ridgecrest, the family still has three dogs. Bob the Rottweiler is their shop dog and protector. Also staying behind for now are their two Yorkies, Lucy and Elroy (remember the Jetsons?).

A big welcome to Megan, Ryan and Preston. We hope you all will find time to enjoy our mountain bike trails.

In June of this year, Trevor Hawkes moved to Tehachapi to fill the position of City Planner. He works within the city Development Services Department headed by Jay Schlosser. Having recently completed his Master’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Planning at Arizona State University in Tempe, he sent out resumes and researched opportunities. The City of Tehachapi asked for an interview and hired him. He said that it was not just his education that got their attention. Trevor had spent two years as a GIS analyst for the city of Oceanside, California before getting has Master’s.

Trevor was born in Goleta, California where his parents were at UC Santa Barbara. They moved to the San Diego area when he was two. His family is still living in nearby La Mesa. He has a younger brother who is working on his PhD in nanochemistry at UC Riverside. I have to assume that his parents are pretty proud of their accomplished offspring. Trevor did his undergraduate work at Humbolt State University. He majored in Geography. He said that it was during those years that he became fascinated with mapping sciences. Working in Oceanside gave him the opportunity to work with the city planners and he knew that was what he wanted to do.

A real soccer fan, he follows the English Premier League closely. He said that he would love to have adult soccer started here in Tehachapi. One of his other passions is bicycles. He rebuilds them as well as rides them. He currently owns five including an old single speed and a tandem bike which he shares with his girlfriend. He added that his one disappointment since moving here was discovering that the Dye Natatorium is not open year round as he is a lap swimmer and would use it daily if available.

Last Christmas time, Trevor adopted Joy, a Border Collie mix and she has come to California with him. Although Trevor thinks the name may not totally fit, she got it because of the season. Trevor thinks she may have a Navajo sheep dog family tree.

A big Tehachapi welcome to you, Trevor. I know the City is glad to have you.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.